PTV plans legal action against Sonthi for failure to act against corrupt officials

Banned satellite broadcaster PTV plans to file a criminal complaint against General Sonthi Boonyaratglin by tomorrow for failing to bring the axe down on government officials whom he claimed had tried to bribe him.

Sonthi, chief of the Council for National Security (CNS), said several upper-middle ranking officials had attempted to give him between Bt40 million and Bt100 million to promote them to director-general posts, PTV founder Veera Musigapong said yesterday.

The junta chief claimed the incidents had led him to conclude that paying bribes to get promoted was common during the previous government of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Veera said.

"Sonthi knows who the people are. Why hasn't he charged them over their illegal actions?" he said.

Veera, a former Thai Rak Thai MP, alleged Sonthi was not doing his job and protecting the national interest. A PTV legal team was drafting a complaint, expected to completed by tomorrow, and would then hand it to the police, he said.

Meanwhile, PTV executive and former Thai Rak Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan warned Sonthi that he should not attempt to betray Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont as he had Thaksin Shinawatra.

Jatuporn referred to the special treatment that CNS leader and Army chief Sonthi had given to Assembly of Isaan People members on Tuesday at Army headquarters.

Although Sonthi distanced himself from the anti-Surayud group by saying he was "lured" into the meeting, Jatuporn believed the session was a set-up by both sides to pressure Surayud to quit.

Jaruporn also challenged the junta to accept his offer.

He said PTV would stop its activities if its mass rally planned for May 31 could not attract enough demonstrators to fill up the whole of Sanam Luang.

However, the CNS generals should step down if the rally gathered enough people, he added.

The Nation